Zero Sugar

Separating fact from fiction

A lot of people choose diet/zero sugar drinks because they are marketed as a healthier alternative. In fact, the opposite is true. They make the problem a person is trying to solve, i.e. lose weight or consume less sugar, worse. It turns out that people would be better off drinking the regular sugary version.

Diet drinks represent just about everything that is wrong with the modern diet. They’re mostly synthetic. The artificial sweeteners condition us to want more sugary products. The brands then produce & sell more. It’s essentially a well marketed vicious circle.

An Irish Times article last month reminded me of the “Diet Coke break” ads. These featured a group of professional women ogling a topless hunk. They were later replaced with ads that linked Diet Coke with the fashion world. Models spoke about subsisting on cigarettes and Diet Coke. Remember Kate Moss’s famous line “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. The journalist who wrote that article endured a tough battle to break her addiction of 7 cans a day. Interestingly, when she quit drinking Diet Coke, she lost weight.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have made a product that’s at least 200 times sweeter than table sugar. It’s easy to get addicted to the artificial sweetness of diet drinks. Our appetites are stimulated by diet drinks, but with no calories, our hunger isn’t satisfied. This means we want to eat more. The saddest part is that our food preferences are being manipulated and healthy wholesome food is less appealing.

When diet drinks try to trick the body into thinking it’s getting an extra dose of sugar and the sugar fails to arrive, the body gets confused. This confusion may impair your body’s ability to process carbohydrates from other foods that you eat.

Scientists think that repeatedly tricking our body this way could explain why study after study keeps finding the same thing: that drinking diet drinks is associated with health issues. It may explain why they have been linked with adverse effects such as weight gain, metabolic disorders, type-2 diabetes, and alteration of gut microbiota activity.

A better way

If you want to limit or replace the processed drinks in your diet, here are a number of healthier options for you to consider.

Water tops the list of healthy drinks.

If you need more flavour? Add slices of lemon, berries, or cucumber.

If you’re missing fizzy drinks? Add a splash of 100% juice to plain sparkling water for a refreshing, low-calorie drink.

Other drinks take a little effort. Here are some of my favourites.

#1 - Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranates are one of the healthiest fruits on the planet.

This bright red pomegranate juice is packed with antioxidants that help protect cells from damage. Antioxidants are known to help prevent and repair DNA damage that can lead to cancer.

There is also some evidence that pomegranates help to protect against heart disease. A 2017 study reports that drinking as little as 60ml of pomegranate juice daily lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol, and cleanses plaque from arteries.

Pure natural pomegranate juice

Cut the top off the pomegranate

Cut the outer skin of the pomegranate, marking 5-6 segments. Cut through the white pith following the natural spaces between the pomegranate seeds.

Break the segments apart with your fingers. This ensures the pomegranate breaks apart cleanly and the pith separates away from the seeds.

Turn the pomegranate upside down and hit it with the heel of your hand or a spoon to release the seeds. Pick out any leftover seeds with your fingers.

The ruby red seeds are released and the white pith remains in the pomegranate’s outer skin.

Notes

5 pomegranates yield approximately 750ml of juice.

You can use a blender to crush and mash the seeds into a watery purée. Then sieve the liquid out through a fine-mesh strainer. Though I usually blend fruit, in this case I prefer to put the seeds through a juicer to crush them fully.

You can store the juice in a glass bottle in the fridge for up to 5 days.

#2 - Lemon & Ginger Tea

Ginger is known for its stomach calming and inflammation-reducing qualities.

Lemon is beneficial for liver health, Vitamin C, and helps achieve a pH balance.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Boiling water to fill 2 cups

1 lemon

1 thumb size piece of ginger, finely sliced

Honey/maple syrup to sweeten as required

Method

1. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from one half and slice the rest. Divide the lemon juice and slices between 2 cups, along with the sliced ginger.

2. Fill the cups with boiling water and leave to steep for 3 minutes or until cool enough to sip. Sweeten with honey or maple syrup if you want.

Notes

The tea is good to drink hot or cold. If you make a large quantity, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

#3 - Turmeric Latte

A Turmeric Latte tops the list for a healthy, healing drink. The mix of spices includes turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper. You may be surprised to see the pepper included and this has to do with how pepper helps to activate the curcumin ingredient in turmeric.

Curcumin gives turmeric its golden colour. This ingredient has potent anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and gastrointestinal health properties. It has been linked to the prevention of cancer cell growth and management of inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, eczema, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Serves 2

Ingredients

500ml milk (plant or dairy)

¼ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp honey/maple syrup to sweeten as required

Pinch of black pepper

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk constantly over a gentle heat.

2. Before the liquid boils, remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Pour into cups and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon to serve.

Disclaimer

This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. If you have any questions about your own nutrition plan, please consult your doctor.